Federal authorities seized 98 kilograms of cocaine during a maritime interdiction about 23 nautical miles off the coast of Loíza, Puerto Rico, and detained four people traveling aboard a vessel, one of them a pregnant woman. The operation was carried out by the San Juan Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of its efforts to combat maritime drug trafficking, according to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which reported it on social media.
The operation is part of an HSTF initiative established under Executive Order 14159, titled "Protecting the American People Against Invasion." The HSTF is an interagency partnership of the federal government that seeks to combat cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and smuggling and human trafficking networks. According to the HSI post, the San Juan HSTF, with support from the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (PRVI HIDTA) initiative, brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to dismantle criminal networks, protect Puerto Rico, and secure the borders.